Archive By Section - State, National

BRUNSWICK - A judge refused to relocate the death penalty trial of a man charged in the sexual assault and murder of a 6-year-old Brunswick boy, but agreed to pick a jury from a county 90 miles away.

David Edenfield, 59, is scheduled to stand trial May 4 for the slaying of Christopher Michael Barrios, whose body was found wrapped in a trash bag by a roadside a week after he went missing from a mobile home park in March 2007.

ATLANTA - The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) reported today that the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 8.1 percent in December, the highest rate in almost 26 years. The jobless rate was up 3.6 percentage points from 4.5 percent at this same time last year. The December unemployment rate was up seven-tenths of one percentage point from a revised 7.4 percent in November.

The last time Georgia posted a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate at this level was in March of 1983 when the rate was also 8.1 percent. The state rate remained above ...

ATLANTA - Governor Sonny Perdue today delivered his annual State of the State address before a joint session of the General Assembly detailing how the state continues to fulfill its core mission through challenging economic times. The Governor's Amended FY 2009 and FY 2010 budgets and policy initiatives continue his commitment to education, economic development and government transformation to deliver better value for the taxpayer's dollar.

ATLANTA - As promised, supporters of Sunday sales of alcohol in Georgia are renewing efforts to change Georgia's law.

A bill filed Tuesday by Republican Sen. Seth Harp of Midland says local governments could call elections to let voters decide if they want to allow Sunday sales of beer, wine and liquor at grocery, convenience and liquor stores.

The faltering economy's effects on Georgia's and expected cuts in state spending and benefits is the 500-pound gorilla sitting in area lawmakers' front rooms. They do have other fears and priorities for the 2009 General Assembly, which starts Monday. Here's how the sum up their plans and hopes:

ATLANTA (January 5, 2009) - A new Georgia law gives Internet users access to information on billions of dollars in state spending. The "Transparency in Government Act" authored by Senator Chip Rogers requires state spending information be placed on a searchable website allowing Georgia taxpayers easy access to where their tax dollars are being spent.

"This is a great day for Georgia taxpayers. We have taken a major step toward transparent and easily accessible accounting information of how every state tax dollar is spent," said Senator Rogers. "The very best way to prevent wasteful government spending is to let those paying ...

Claxton City Councilman Jerome Woody was indicted today on 25 counts of acquiring or obtaining a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception or subterfuge, according to Edmund A. Booth Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

SAVANNAH - Exposed by erosion at the edge of a crumbling bluff, the pit discovered beneath 2 feet of sandy dirt at first appeared to be a grave just long and deep enough to bury a human body.

An excavation by archaeologists on Ossabaw Island revealed something more puzzling - just a few small bones, apparently from fingers or toes, mixed with charcoal, bits of burned logs and pottery shards more than 1,000 to 3,000 years old.

ATLANTA - Georgians can celebrate a reduction in the state's gasoline tax as they welcome in the New Year. But it will mean less revenue for transportation projects.

The state tax was lowered by 4 cents per gallon to 14.6 cents starting Thursday. Georgia's gas tax is adjusted twice a year based on the average price of gas. When that average price dips - as it has in recent months - the tax goes down as well. Gov. Sonny Perdue rescinded an executive order he issued in June that froze the tax as prices skyrocketed over the summer.